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Taylor Swift confirms Keith Urban will sing on her next album after speculation from fans

It took less than 24 hours for fans to solve the anagram puzzles she shared on Friday.
/ Source: TODAY

Taylor Swift has been including hidden messages in the lyrics printed on her CD booklets since her debut album "Taylor Swift" in 2006, capitalizing seemingly random letters in her lyrics that spell out a word or a phrase. While these decodable messages stopped appearing in her lyrics after “1989,” Swift kept the tradition alive throughout the years through her Easter eggs and most recently, through the re-release of her second album “Fearless.”

After challenging fans to solve a series of anagrams to reveal new details about “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” they were able to solve the puzzle in 24 hours. The "Willow" singer announced the full 27 song tracklist to Instagram on Saturday, including six unreleased songs, one of which included a familiar name from Swift's past: Keith Urban.

Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.
Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.AP / Getty Images

“You cracked the codes and guessed all the From The Vault titles. 👏👏👏 ,” she wrote in the caption. “Here’s the full track list, my friends. I’m really honored that @keithurban is a part of this project, duetting on 'That’s When' and singing harmonies on 'We Were Happy.'”

She continued, reminiscing on her career from over 10 years ago, adding, “I was his opening act during the 'Fearless' album era and his music has inspired me endlessly.”

“I’m counting down the minutes til we can all jump into this brave world together, filled with equal parts nostalgia and brand newness,” she concluded the caption. “Head first, Fearless 💛”

Urban shared Swift's announcement to his Instagram Stories, writing, "@jackantonoff and @aarondessner asked if I'd join their band and I said hell yes!!"

"They said you're gonna love our lead singer - she's fearless," he added. "We got to sing together and were so happy, and I said that's magic when the stars align like that !!!!!"

On April 2, Swift shared a video to Instagram of an animated vault in the album's classic golden hue that included various unsolved anagrams appearing on screen. She challenged “expert” level fans to decode the messages that were thought to reveal even more details about her new version of “Fearless.”

“The vault door is about to be as unhinged as you’ll think I am after you watch this video,” she wrote. “Level: Expert. Happy decoding!”

Shortly after the video was posted, fans were able to successfully decode every message, which ended up being the bonus tracks on the album. At the time, Urban’s involvement was only speculated.

Urban and Swift were able to share a sweet exchange on social media in September 2019 after the country artist covered her song “Lover” at the Washington State Fair.

“Every now and then you hear a song that you love and wish you’d written.... and a HUGE thx to my band as well- we didn’t get to rehearse so.... this is us fully winging it - KU,” Urban wrote on Twitter alongside a short clip of the performance.

Swift responded in her retweet, adding, “MY HEART EXPLODED INTO CONFETTI HEARTS THANK YOU 🙏💕💕💕😭”

The Grammy-winning artist confirmed in November 2020 that she would be re-recording her older records following the sale of her masters.

“I have recently begun re-recording my older music and it has already proven to be both exciting and creatively fulfilling,” she wrote in a statement shared to Twitter. “I have plenty of surprises in store. I want to thank you guys for supporting me through this ongoing saga, and I can’t wait for you to hear what I’ve been dreaming up.”

In February, Swift revealed that the first album that would be re-released from her catalog would be her sophomore album, “Fearless.”

She released “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” officially at midnight on February 11, months after a snippet of the re-recorded version was featured in a Match.com commercial created by Maximum Effort, a creative company belonging to actor — and Swift's close friend— Ryan Reynolds.

The singer has also released one song from the vault ahead of the album's rumored release of April 9, a song called “You All Over Me” featuring Maren Morris.